U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced yesterday that the demand for TIGER grants has yet again exceeded the available funding. Applications for TIGER 2012 grants totaled $10.2 billion, far more than the $500 million set aside for the program.The Department of Transportation received 703 applications from all 50 states, U.S. territories, and Washington, D.C.
Smart Growth America released the following statement April 5: WASHINGTON DC — Analysis of U.S. Census estimates released today reveals that population growth in town and city centers is outpacing that of suburbs for the first time in more than two decades. The estimates, taken as of July 2011, indicate that more than three years … Continued
Looking for funding for a new project in your community? HUD, DOT, EPA and several other agencies have made available millions of dollars in funding to support the planning and implementation of projects that promote sustainable communities. Funding is available for a variety of uses, including community planning, affordable housing finance, technical assistance, research, and capital infrastructure investments.
To help you navigate the complex maze of opportunities, Reconnecting America has compiled a list of all upcoming programs and deadlines. Visit their federal grant page for more information.
For more on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, visit https://smartgrowthamerica.org/partnership.
A decade ago, many Americans knew Oklahoma City only as the site of one of the worst domestic tragedies in the country’s history. Today, thanks to the policies and initiatives of Mayor Mick Cornett and his administration, Oklahoma City is experiencing unprecedented economic growth – and several smart growth strategies have helped make it happen.
Oklahoma City’s gains in recent years are due in large part to the Cornett administration’s concerted – and politically risky, at times – effort to enhance, understand and plan for growth. To add value to Oklahoma City’s downtown, Cornett and his team are pursuing capital improvement programs, supporting development throughout the region, and leveraging projects to attract new businesses and raise the quality of life for residents. Bucking the trend of do-nothing politics, Cornett is a man of progress, getting things done with support from voters and relying on common sense policy objectives.
The Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium, a public initiative in Northeast Ohio that focuses on achieving a sustainable and resilient future for the region, is currently launching an extensive public engagement initiative that will take place over the next few months. Freshwater Cleveland reported recently that NEOSCC is beginning to create a sustainability plan for the region, and hopes to target key demographics like young professionals and urban planners for input on their strategic plan. The NEOSCC initiative is funded in large part by a $4.25 HUD Sustainable Communities Initiative grant from the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
After facing a major economic downturn in the 1980s due to a drop in steel business demand and production, Pittsburgh is on the rebound, with city leaders looking to transform former industrial corridors into vibrant riverfront neighborhoods.
Today, the former “Steel City” is known as a growing hub for high-tech innovation, education and health care. Pittsburgh’s art scene, job prospects, safety and affordability recently earned it the title of “Most Livable City in America” by Forbes Magazine, and the city’s economic rebound has proven so successful that its story is serving as a model for other recession-hit cities.
Still, Pittsburgh’s comeback is not without obstacles, as many of the areas best suited for in-demand development were not originally envisioned as such, said Lena Andrews, senior planning specialist at the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.
“Pittsburgh’s riverfronts were used as transportation corridors for industrial production, and were characterized by factories, barges and pollution,” Andrews said. “While the environment has improved since then, the land surrounding them has remained relatively unchanged. The riverfronts were designed around industry rather than the community, and the land around them does not connect to our neighborhoods.”
Last week, Smart Growth America’s President and CEO Geoff Anderson spoke with Jim Engster of Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s WRKF FM about smart growth strategies in Lousiana and across the country. Tonight Anderson will speak in Baton Rouge as a guest of Smart Growth America’s coalition partner the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX). Anderson will speak about how economic development, fiscal conservatism, and smart growth as a great benefit to business owners, community leaders and residents. Find out more about tonight’s event here, and read an excerpted transcript or listen to the full audio of Anderson’s interview with WRKF using the player below.
WRKF: In Baton Rouge we have a vote coming in a few weeks, April 25, a measure to preserve the bus system in this area. What’s your take on whether or not a public bus system is a necessity or not for a city the size of Baton Rouge?
GEOFF ANDERSON: I think that there’s a common myth out there that public transportation is all about big cities. And of course we have a good system here in Washington. But in fact in a lot of those smaller towns and cities around the country public transportation is even more important because often we find that people are using those systems to get to their jobs, to participate in the economy. It’s the thing that’s getting a lot of people in rural places to their medical appointments, it’s the only option they have. And with the volatility that we’re seeing in energy prices, in gas prices, we’ve seen a lot of pain in different communities as people are trying to control their household costs and figure out a way to avoid paying high gas prices this is what they’re turning to. We’re seeing public transportation ridership at all time highs, and certainly a lot of fiscal pressure on those systems. But if you want to keep people employed in the economy and you want to keep them as active participants in the workforce and not end up paying costs that are associated with having people be unemployed, this is a great way to do it.
Envision Minnesota announced on Thursday that the EPA Office of Sustainable Communities’ Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program has awarded grant funds to Forterra and the Building Sustainable Communities Consortium. These organizations will provide technical assistance for community development.